The present invention relates generally to the production of bent glass sheets and, more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for bending specifically configurated glass sheets.
Bent sheets of glass are commonly used as glazing closures in vehicles such as automobiles and the like. It is often desirable to shape or form the glass in a manner to carry out styling features found in the adjacent sheet metal components in order to create the appearance of unity between the glass and the sheet metal. For example, in a recent proposed design, it is desirable to provide an automotive backlight having inturned side portions extending into the side surfaces of the vehicle and into the roof line of the vehicle as well as the deck lid, respectively. The press bending apparatus of the type required to achieve such shapes typically employs a structure wherein the female member of the mold set is in the form of a ring having a portion thereof segmented to permit passage of the ring upwardly through an associated array of conveying rolls during the bending operation as illustrated and described in United States Pat. No. 4,305,746 entitled "Method of and Apparatus for Bending Glass Sheets", Floyd T. Hagedorn et al, issued Dec. 15, 1981. In certain instances, the discontinuities in the female ring has caused slight ripple effects in the edges of the glass sheet being formed.